Just the Jitters
by Archer.Rose
Summary: Summary: Santana's been sick all morning and Brittany doesn't know why.  Fluffy, corny-stuff with a healthy dollop of cheese.  Unofficial Brittana Week Day Three  proposal


**Disclaimer: I don't know anything.**

Brittany knocked gently on the bathroom door, the sound of Santana's muffled retching causing her own stomach to flip and churn ominously. "You okay, baby," she called out softly.

This was the third time this morning that Santana had gotten sick and Brittany was getting really worried. If she didn't know any better, she'd think Santana was pregnant. She pulled the waistband of her sweats open and looked in. Nope, nothing funny happening down there. She snapped the elastic back and patted her crotch in reassurance, relieved that pregnancy was an unlikely cause for her girlfriend's morning illness. Sure, she wanted to have a family with Santana eventually, but she was sure that the end of their junior year of college wasn't the ideal time.

"Santana," she tried again, placing her hand on the doorknob. "Can I come in?" Before she could test the handle, she heard the toilet flush and the tap run. Brittany stepped back and waited, rocking back on her heels nervously. A moment later, Santana's dark, ruffled head peeked through the doorway.

"Fine. I'm fine," Santana mumbled, her eyes darting around, refusing to meet the concerned gaze of her girlfriend. She rubbed Brittany's arm in acknowledgement and the blonde could feel the girl's hand trembling. But before she could say anything, Santana squeezed past her and wandered to into their bedroom where she started rummaging through the closet for something to wear.

"Maybe you should just stay home," Brittany offered. Santana glanced up to see her leaning against the doorjam, arms crossed over her chest, shimmering blue eyes dark with worry. "You're probably coming down with something and it's best just to sleep it off."

"No, no," Santana reassured her. "I'm fine. I'm sure it was just something I ate," she said, hoping the blonde wouldn't press her further. She hated lying to her girlfriend but she couldn't very well tell her the real reason she'd been jittery and nauseated all morning.

Brittany chuckled, walking over and wrapping her long arms around her Santana's waist. She pulled Santana tight against her and buried her nose in the soft, dark locks in front of her. "I told you not to eat that sushi from the 7-11," she chided gently.

Santana giggled at the blonde's teasing and the way Brittany's breath tickled the back of her neck. "Yea, that's probably all it is." Santana turned in Brittany's arms and placed her chin on the girl's breastbone so she could look up and see the beautiful face of the girl she loved.

When their eyes met, Santana's breath hitched and her heart started pounding in her chest. She watched Brittany's nose crinkle and knew the other girl could feel the change in the tempo and strength of her heartbeat. A pale hand reached up to brush strands of dark hair out of her eyes before moving across her forehead and placing a cool palm against the slightly sweaty flesh, blonde eyebrows knitting together.

Santana looked away and stepped back. She took a deep breath to steady herself before glancing up and giving the blonde what she hoped was a comforting smile. "I'm fine," she insisted. "I promise. But I'm going to be late if I don't leave soon." She turned back to the closet and grabbed a sweater, shucking her sleep shirt and changing quickly.

"I don't understand why you don't just reschedule. Whatever Kurt wants can wait till you feel better I'm sure," Brittany huffed, and Santana knew if she turned around she'd see the tall blonde pouting adorably at her. Which is exactly why she held fast and kept her back to the persistent girl.

"I can't B. And I feel much better already, I swear."

Brittany huffed again and sat down heavily on the bed. "Well, why can't I go with you? What if you get sick when you're out and need me?"

Santana froze. She had had weeks to come up with a plausible excuse, but with all of the other planning, it had slipped her mind completely. Now she was left with nothing, and the added stress combined with what this day meant (or what it was _going to_ mean) was making her stomach roll. She swayed slightly, trying to fight off the nausea and bracing herself against the closet door.

Brittany stood quickly and wrapped Santana up in her arms once again. "I don't want you leaving when you're obviously not feeling well. Maybe we should take you to the doctor's."

Santana shook her head, knowing full well why she'd spent the morning puking her guts out and knowing there was nothing a doctor could do to help her get through it. _Stop being a fucking pussy, Lopez_, she berated herself.

"Baby, I promised Kurt I'd meet with him and he insisted it just be me." She pulled Brittany's arms away gently and squeezed her hands, propping herself up on her tiptoes to give her girl a kiss on the apple of her cheek. "I really have to go now. When I get back I'm taking you out, okay? We'll get super dressed up and everything."

Brittany ducked her head, trying to hide her smile and hold her pout just a little longer, hoping the dark-haired girl would give in and just rest. Catching the edge of Santana's smirk out of the corner of her eye, however, she knew the jig was up and that the stubborn girl wasn't going to fall for any of her tricks. She sighed and swung their linked hands back and forth, unable to resist the twinkle in her girlfriend's eyes. "Where we gonna go?"

"It's a surprise," Santana replied, her voice catching just a little and she blinked her eyes away.

Brittany pulled Santana to her and kissed her soundly on the lips. "Okay," she said, "but call me if you start feeling bad and I'll come get you right away."

Instead of reminding the blonde that she'd have the car, Santana simply nodded and kissed her softly once more before stepping back and pulling a full duffel from the closet.

"What's that?" Brittany asked, eyeing the bag and missing how Santana's face blanched and her throat bobbed as she struggled to swallow.

"Oh, um, just some stuff Kurt needed. I'll call you later, love. Bye!" she finished in a rush, ducking out of the room and crossing quickly through the living space, barely hearing Brittany's "love you" as she passed through the front door and shut it firmly behind her. Once it was closed, she leaned back and exhaled slowly.

After a few calming breaths, she kneeled next to her bag and unzipped it as quietly as she could. Still shaky fingers reached in and riffled through the neatly folded clothes until they extracted a small silk bag. She pulled the drawstrings apart and removed a soft, velvet box. Her legs gave out and she rocked out of her crouch, landing flat on her butt.

She forced deep, even breaths in and out of her lungs, and flipped up the top of the box. The bright, modest ring caught just enough of the midday sun to sparkle and glitter as it trembled in her hand. Dark brown eyes fluttered closed momentarily before Santana pulled herself up to her feet. She closed the lid gently and shoved the box in the front pocket of her jeans.

Everything was going to be perfect. She'd make sure of it. She just needed to stop throwing up first.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Once Santana left the apartment, Brittany sought out her phone and dialed up Quinn, flopping back on the bed as she waited for her friend to pick up. As much as Santana had tried to reassure her, Brittany was still worried about her and she hoped Quinn, with her clear reasoning and steady composure, could help calm her fears.

"Hey Britt, what's up?"

Quinn's cheery voice raised Brittany's spirits briefly, but when she remembered why she was calling, her face fell and she pouted again. "Hey Q," she sighed morosely.

"What's wrong B, you sound a little down," was Quinn's quick reply.

"I dunno. Santana's been acting weird all week and then today she threw up the whole morning. It's kinda freaking me out." She chewed on the corner of her thumbnail and waited for the blonde's response. What she got surprised her, however. "Why are you laughing?" she asked, the rich, near hysterical laughter that filtered through the phone catching her off guard. "Q?" she continued when the laughter didn't cease. "Q? Quinn!"

"Oh my God! Ha! I don't believe it!" Quinn cried between chuckles. "She was really sick? Like puking-sick?"

"Yea, Q. She really was and I don't think it's funny at all." Quinn's laughter was starting to grate on Brittany, causing her eyes to narrow and her fingers to tap against her stomach in irritation.

"Oh that's rich! Lopez throwing-"a burst of laughter cut through, "throwing-" more laughter, "_throwing up _all morning! Ha!" Brittany could fairly hear the girl rolling around in amusement and her initial irritation slowly turned to anger. Like, Santana Lopez type anger. "Wait till I tell Rachel!" Quinn enthused.

"Stop that _right now_," Brittany said firmly, something very close to danger lacing her voice. "Just because she's tough and stuff doesn't mean she doesn't hurt too. She's human, you know. And I don't think it's funny that she's been sick all morning and is now off traipsing around God knows where with _Kurt_ probably still feeling like crap. So _stop_ laughing."

Quinn tried to pull herself together, really she did. But knowing that Santana Lopez (_Santana Lopez!_) had worked herself into such a nervous tizzy she had actually made herself sick, well that was some funny shit, particularly when Quinn knew to her very core that Santana had absolutely nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, as much as it tickled her, Quinn could hear how pissed Brittany was, and she knew that underlying that anger was a genuine concern for Santana.

"I know, I know," Quinn tried to placate, but Brittany could still hear the amusement in her voice. "I'm sure it's nothing, B. She probably just ate something weird. You know how she is." Brittany couldn't help but chuckle at that. Santana was notorious for eating absolutely anything and everything, regardless of the source. When the two girls had travelled down to Cancun for one of their Spring Breaks, Brittany had to ban the brunette from eating by herself after she got a violent case of food poisoning from eating something from a roadside food truck (well, a colorfully-painted van that only sold a thick stew that Brittany swore had a hoof in it).

"I really don't think there's anything to panic over," Quinn continued.

"You're sure _sure_, Quinn?" Brittany asked, her voice small and pleading.

"Positive. Just relax. I have a feeling today's gonna be a really good day."

"Yea? Why?"

Fearing she'd said too much, Quinn cleared her throat and rushed on, "Just a hunch. Everything's going to be fine. Look, I gotta go. Call me later, okay?"

"Kay." Brittany's soft voice filtered through the line as Quinn pulled the phone away and ended the call.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

"Hey babe, I'll be by to pick you up in an hour, so start getting ready, kay?" Santana informed the blonde over the phone.

Brittany glanced up at the clock, noting that her girlfriend had been out all day and it was nearing six o'clock. "Where've you been? Are you feeling okay? You sound kinda weird."

Santana cleared her throat, cursing the tremor in her voice and the shake of her hand on the phone. "Yea, yea, I'm good. Just get ready, okay? Really fancy-like."

"Oh yea?" Brittany asked excitedly. She loved dressing up, and she didn't know what gave her more pleasure; getting to show off what nature gave her, or getting to show off her smoking hot girlfriend. She giggled into the phone. "Where are we going?"

"It's a surprise but you're gonna like it, trust me. I gotta go now but I'll call when I'm on my way. One hour, sweetheart."

The phone clicked off before Brittany could reply and the tall blonde scowled at the device, flopping back on the couch in a huff. She looked around the empty apartment, hoping to spot their overweight calico wandering around somewhere. Now that she thought about it though, she hadn't seen Pepper Ann since the previous morning when the husky cat had accidentally rolled onto Santana's neck while they were sleeping. The poor girl woke up choking and struggling for breath, which just cemented her belief that their cat wasn't secretly trying to kill her.

After a cursory look around, Brittany assumed Pepper Ann had just hidden away somewhere to plot her next move in her master plan to drive Santana insane. Even though she tried to persuade Santana otherwise, a small part of Brittany _did_ think the shifty calico had it in for her girlfriend. She smirked at the thought and decided she needed to hop in the shower if she was going to be ready when Santana called. Her girl never liked to be kept waiting.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Santana ran her hands down her body, smoothing her dress out before tugging on the edges of her long coat, making sure she looked perfect. She tried to ignore how sweaty her palms were and swallowed down the acid taste that bubbled up from her rolling stomach. She debated popping another couple antacids, but she didn't want to have that chalky feeling in her mouth when she kissed Brittany. And she knew there'd be a lot of kissing Brittany that night. At least she hoped there would be.

She reached into her coat pocket and squeezed the velvet box, making sure she hadn't lost the damn thing on the way over and hoping to gain strength and confidence from the tactile reminder of what she was about to do. As her fingers wrapped around the familiar object, her breath caught and she bent over, resting her hands on her knees and closing her eyes tightly.

She wouldn't hyperventilate and pass out. Santana Motherfucking Lopez would _not_ hyperventilate and fucking pass out before the night even started.

After a few moments, her breathing evened out and she was able to stand without making herself dizzy. _Get it together, Lopez_, she chided, running a fingertip under her eyes to make sure none of her makeup had smudged. When she was sure she had it all together (well, as together as she was going to get), she rang the bell and held her breath.

Brittany hurried to the door, skipping slightly as she tried to slip on her final heel. She whipped the door open and gasped in surprise at the sight before her. A wide smile stretched across her face and she bit her lip, taking in the blushing beauty that greeted her.

"Why are you ringing the bell, silly? Did you forget your keys?" Brittany asked, reaching out to grab Santana's hand. "Babe, you're shaking. Are you sure you want to go out tonight?" she asked, pressing Santana's hands in between her own and rubbing them gently.

Santana smiled softly, letting Brittany's concern calm her nerves and warm her body. Even after all their time together, Santana was still amazed by how easily Brittany could take her fucking breath away.

"I'm fine B," she whispered, causing Brittany to raise her eyes from where they had settled on their joined hands. "You're _so_ beautiful," Santana said, her voice cracking slightly in the middle. She ducked her head, embarrassed by how quickly she could revert to some insecure teenager when the blonde was near. The thought made her giddy and she couldn't stop the shy giggle that rose up from her chest.

Brittany's ears turned bright red at the compliment and she smiled, biting her lip and swaying in place. "You look pretty too, San. Where are we going?"

Santana reached out and grabbed her girlfriend's hand. "Come with me and I'll show you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The restaurant was the nicest Brittany had ever seen. It had high, frescoed ceilings with opulent chandeliers scattered throughout the immense room. Santana followed a smartly-dressed hostess, leading Brittany by the hand, the young blonde swinging her head around quickly, trying to take it all in. They walked past a modestly-sized dance floor with a small orchestra set up to one side. Brittany squeezed Santana's hand excitedly, earning a quick grin and return squeeze. Soft strings and a dulcet piano melody filled the room, the music just loud enough to linger in the background and give the space a rich, romantic feel.

The hostess led them to a quiet table in the corner that still had a clear view of the dance floor. Santana shrugged out of her coat and wrapped it carefully around the back of her chair.

"Oh, let me check that for you," the hostess said, grabbing the coat and pulling it off the chair.

Santana panicked and yanked the garment back. They engaged in a brief tug-of-war, each clutching handfuls of material and holding tightly.

"Really, there's no charge," the hostess said, trying to convince the stubborn woman to relinquish the coat.

"I" tug "don't" tug "care" tug. Santana twirled more fabric around her fist. "You ain't getting my coat, lady!"

"Santana," Brittany soothed, placing one hand on the coat and one on Santana's back.

Seeing her reach for the jacket caused Santana's panic to go to eleven and she gave the hostess one last, withering glare before digging her heels in and pulling with all the strength she could muster.

The force surprised the two women who were holding tight and they stumbled forward, Brittany smushing into Santana's front and the poor hostess colliding with Brittany's back. Much to Santana's relief, they relinquished the garment in order to recapture their balance.

Brittany pushed against Santana's shoulders, her fingers curling around strong muscles and holding the dark-haired girl close but away from her chest. Bright blue eyes twinkled when they caught the flustered, almost wild brown eyes in front of her.

"Hi," Brittany said softly , moving one of her hands up to cup Santana's cheek.

"Hey," Santana replied, flushing from the prior exertion and the close proximity of her girl.

The hostess cleared her throat and straightened up. "Um, well then, I'll just leave you to it. Miss?" she directed to Brittany. "May I take _your_ coat?"

Brittany stepped back and removed her jacket, handing it over without fanfare.

"Well," the hostess said, satisfied at having retrieved at least one of the garments, "I hope you enjoy your meal. Your waiter will be with you shortly."

Once the girls took their seats and Santana held her coat possessively in her lap, Brittany sat back and quirked an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

Santana ran her hands rhythmically over the jacket, lingering ever so slightly over the small square in her pocket. When she caught sight of Brittany's look—the cheeky half-smile and little wrinkle between her brows, the bright, twinkling blue eyes—she stilled her nervous jitters.

"What?" she asked.

"You are so, _so_ beautiful, Santana," Brittany breathed, her voice airy and filled with wonder. She hadn't even looked at what her girlfriend was wearing, Santana's shimmering brown eyes and full lips and dimpled cheek and scrunched nose and perfect chin mesmerizing Brittany to the point where nothing else mattered. The sight of her made Brittany's chest ache and she had to blink away for a moment.

Heat crawled up the back of Santana's neck and settled into her cheeks. She cleared her throat, but before she could respond, a lanky waiter in a white dress shirt and dark blue tie approached and she leaned back and clutched at her coat once again.

Santana ordered them a bottle of sparkling wine and the waiter left them to peruse the menu as he went to retrieve their beverage. Brittany hadn't taken her eyes off Santana the whole time, leaving her menu untouched on the table in front of her. Something was up. For months, Santana had been scrimping and saving for a new computer. Frankly, with how manic the brunette had been about squirreling her money away, Brittany had been secretly convinced her girlfriend was getting some super cool artificially-intelligent computer that would keep them company and do household chores and stuff. Just like Rosie from the Jetsons.

Watching the girl splurge now, however, left her confused and a little disappointed that they wouldn't be getting a robot or a new, computerized apartment.

"Okay," she drawled, crossing her arms over her chest, "what's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Santana responded without taking her eyes off the menu that vibrated slightly in her hands.

"_Santana_," Brittany whined, huffing a little and jutting her bottom lip out. "Did I miss something important?" Her brow crinkled in thought as she tried to review all the significant events in their lives and match up dates. But they'd been together forever and there was a lot to go over.

When Santana looked up and saw Brittany's eyes go cross at the strain of figuring out the occasion, she chuckled and nudged her with her foot.

Brittany blinked quickly to clear her vision.

"I just felt like taking you out today." Santana shrugged and smiled shyly. "There doesn't have to be a reason except that I love you."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Dinner was perfect. They both ordered different pasta dishes and spent the meal feeding each other little bites and sipping their sparkling wine. Brittany loved the way the bubbles tingled along her tongue and down her throat and she shimmied in her seat. She felt light-headed and dizzy, but it wasn't from the alcohol; it was the way Santana doted on her the whole evening.

A soft chime pulled the blonde's attention from her companion and she reached in her bag and took out her phone, her brow furrowing at the text.

"What's up, B?" Santana asked, noting the girl's confusion.

There was another chime and another puzzled look. "Did we miss like a reunion or something?" Santana shook her head. "I think Tina and Mercedes are out somewhere getting drunk," Brittany laughed, scrolling through the texts.

"Really? That's weird. What are they saying?"

Brittany handed the phone over and Santana swore her heart stopped beating as she read what the girls had sent.

**OMG! Congratulations! I'm so happy! I want details stat! – T**

**Bout damn time girl! Congrats and good luck! Not that y'all need it. – Cedes**

The chime went off again and Mike's name popped up. Chime. Artie. Chime. Chime. Chime. Rachel. Rachel. Rachel.

_Son of a bitch!_ Santana leapt out of her seat, her coat sliding off her lap and she grabbed at it absently, her eyes still glued to Brittany's phone.

"Hey, you okay?" Brittany asked. "You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

"Oh, um, yea a little." She grabbed her purse and threw her coat over her shoulder, Brittany's phone still held tight in her hand. "I'll be right back."

"Let me come with you." Brittany started to rise but Santana put her free hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down.

"No, no. Just relax. Uh, have more wine. I won't be long."

"Well, leave your things at least," she called out, but Santana had sprinted away, weaving through the tables scattered about and whacking random people in the back of the head with her coat as she rushed by.

Santana turned a corner and when she could see that she was out of the blonde's line of sight she collapsed back against the wall. She took a minute to slow her racing heart before retrieving her phone and dialing Kurt.

"I am going to _kill_ you," she growled.

"Hey Santana," he said sheepishly, hoping to delay the ass-kicking he knew he was about to receive. "How's everything going?"

"Oh, it's going _great_!" she said sarcastically. "But can you please tell me why Brittany's phone's blowing up with congratulation texts when I haven't even asked her yet?"

"Haha, about that-"

"I'm about ten seconds away from reaching through this phone and pulling your larynx out, so get to the fucking point, Fancy."

"Okay, okay. I was just really excited about the video. It's so cute. She's gonna love it. Really, Santana you did such an amazing job. Blaine and I cried. They depth of emotion you were able to pull from-"

"Kurt!"

"Right. Well, after I got everything ready, I just couldn't help myself. I had to share. So I uploaded it a little early."

"And?"

"And I _might_ have emailed the link to a few people. But I swear I made it really clear in the email that they were not to saying anything until tomorrow, I promise!"

"Really! You trusted the freakin' gleeks to keep this secret. You know half of them didn't even read your stupid email and just clicked the fucking link."

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry, Santana. Let me fix it. I'll pull it down right now."

"No, no, no. I'm gonna do it now anyway. Just …" she sighed, "just get on the phone and tell them no more texts till later. Better yet, don't contact her at all. She'll call them when she's ready."

"Got it! And good luck, sweetie. You got this in the bag!"

Santana ended the call and blew out a long, steadying breath. _Everything's still on track_, she tried to reassure herself. _Everything's going to be okay._

The phone in her other hand started ringing and she looked down to see Rachel calling. _Of course_. She turned it off and tucked it in her bag. _Just get on with it and you won't have to worry about someone blowing the surprise. Quit being a pussy, Lopez!_

Santana was never good at pep talks so it stood to reason that the one she gave herself would be pretty terrible too. But it worked well enough and she pushed off the wall and headed back to the table.

"Everything okay?" Brittany asked, worried blue eyes watching Santana as she set her bag down and placed her coat in her lap.

When Santana looked up and caught the concern in Brittany's face, she stretched out a hand and laced their fingers together. "Everything's perfect. Um," she swallowed slowly. "Let's hold off on dessert for a sec. There's," she retracted her hand and pulled a tablet out of her bag. "There's something I want to show you." She moved her chair next to Brittany so that they could both see the screen.

Brittany bounced in her seat and clapped her hands in excitement. It took a moment for Santana to pull up the video she wanted. She had to clench her fists together to stop her fingers from shaking. She felt Brittany lean her head against her shoulder and wrap an arm around her waist.

With a quick swipe of her finger, Santana adjusted the volume so that they could hear comfortably without disturbing the rest of the restaurant. Soon, the opening credits to _Fondue for Two_ started with the original theme music and everything, and Brittany raised her head to look at Santana in surprise.

Her girlfriend shrugged sheepishly. "Just watch."

The credits faded and a blurry image started coming into focus. When it settled, Brittany laughed at the image of Santana sitting on an unfamiliar couch with Pepper Ann on her lap. Something in the background must have startled the cat as she dug her claws into Santana's thighs and the dark-haired girl cursed, pushing the cat away. "Ow, son of a bitch! Stupid cat. I should've had you declawed when Britt was at school like I planned," she shouted, rubbing her sore legs and glaring at the animal who sashayed away, tail swaying haughtily as she went.

Brittany turned her head and narrowed her eyes at Santana who bit her lip and blushed. "Um, this was supposed to be edited out. I would never do that to Pepper, you know that." Sufficiently placated, Brittany put her head back on Santana's shoulder and turned her eyes to the screen.

There was a chuckle from off camera and the girl in the video turned her glare from the departing cat to the cameraman.

"Okay," the disembodied voice that sounded very much like Kurt started, "we're all set here."

"'Bout time. Now get out."

"But Santana-"

"I said get out. This isn't for you."

"What if you need-" Santana turned dark eyes at the camera and there was a sigh followed by the light click of a closing door in the background. After a moment, Santana exhaled and tried to get Pepper Ann back on the couch. "Hey, Pep, you know I didn't mean it. Come on. Here, kitty-kitty," she sing-songed, patting the seat next to her. When the large calico didn't respond, she sighed and clasped her hands together, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees.

"Um well," she began, "welcome to the temporary rebirth of _Fondue for Two_. For those of you familiar with the program, I'm sure you're wondering where it's been all these years. Well, um, Brittany has been off attending college and doing a kick ass job of it. Dean's list two of the last three years. Yay!" She raised her fists and gave a little cheer.

"And you're probably wondering why she's not here hosting and I am. Well," Santana cleared her throat and fiddled with her hands. "A long time ago, I was invited to be a guest on this show and I fucked it up. Shit, can you say 'fuck' on these things? Goddamn it." She looked off to the side, searching for something before just shaking her head.

"Um, I screwed up bad. See, I had this amazing, gorgeous, super smart and funny girl who wanted to take me to Junior Prom and I chickened out. I was too immature and selfish to realize that nothing anybody said or did to me mattered because I had a girl who loved me. But I was so fucking scared that I let her down." She swallowed hard, her throat feeling thick all of a sudden.

"And part of me," her voice cracked and she looked away. She ran the edge of her pinky under her eye and blinked twice before turning back to the camera. "Part of me didn't really believe I deserved her. I was cold and bitchy and just so fucking –uh freaking—angry all the time. Why would someone as loving and open and perfect as she was, or is, want to be with that?"

Santana fidgeted in the video, squeezing her hands together. "But she did." When she looked back up into the camera, a wide, amazed smile stretched across her face. "And she's shown me how to be a better person. To be someone who deserves her love. And I try really hard every day not to disappoint her." There was a short pause as Santana collected herself.

"So this appearance is a long time coming." She looked directly in the camera. "Brittany," she said softly with a tilt of her head, "I should have been there then. And a part of me regrets that I wasn't every day. But, but then I think of what we have now, what we've built together, and I can't be sad, you know? I wish I never hurt you, Britt, but we're here now and we're stronger together because of everything we've been through."

She sat back and opened her arms wide. "So this is my apology for never making it to _Fondue for Two_ and for not being there for you when you needed me. But it's also a promise. A promise to always be there for you in the future. To love you and protect you and take care of you in all the ways that you need. From now until forever, I'm yours, Brittany."

Tears spilled from the dark girl's eyes, and she laughed as she wiped them away. "Pepper was supposed to be here so I could blame this on my damn allergies." She sniffled and ran the back of her hand across her nose. A shy, happy smile settled across her face. "Now, I think I'll do the rest of this in person, if you don't mind."

With that, the scene faded and Brittany felt Santana pull out of the grasp she had on her waist. Glassy blue eyes turned and saw Santana kneeling in front of her. She gasped and brought a hand up to cover her mouth.

Santana shook nervously as she looked up into startled blue eyes. They were both bawling like babies, but she couldn't bring herself to care. She lifted the velvet box in her hands and opened it carefully.

"Sometimes it feels like we've spent our whole lives together," Santana started slowly. "And it wasn't always easy, and we hurt each other more than we should have, but if all of that is what it took to get us here, then it's perfect. It's ours and it's perfect because together we're perfect. I don't want to waste any more time on regrets and what might have been because honestly I don't think my life could be any better than it is right now and that's all because you're here. _We're_ here." She paused and took a breath.

"I know I'm a jackass and a grouch sometimes. I'm too messy and I don't clean the litter box enough. I drink straight out of the carton and forget to throw the filter out after I make coffee. And I wear your dance clothes cuz they smell like you and blame Pepper when they go missing." Brittany reached out and cupped Santana's cheeks, laughing through her tears. She rubbed her thumbs under Santana's eyes, brushing away the moisture.

Santana met her gaze and held on. "Brittany Susan Pierce, I love you. And if you're willing to put up with all of that, with all of me, I promise I will spend the rest of my life protecting your heart and making you happy. You are it for me. Will you marry me?"

Brittany sunk to the floor to kneel next to Santana, not caring that she probably just bruised her knees in her zeal to be close to her girl. She grabbed her behind the neck and kissed her soundly, crushing her lips against Santana's and nipping lightly as she pulled away.

"Yes. Yes. Yes," she said, pecking Santana on the lips with each declaration. She had no other words for the occasion. She felt like she was floating and the only thing keeping her from drifting away was Santana warm skin under her lips.

They leaned their foreheads together, neither wanting to lose contact with the other. They watched Santana's slim fingers tug the ring out of its case and slip it gingerly onto the blonde's, dark hands rubbing the skin around the band tenderly.

"Love you," Brittany mumbled, closing her eyes at the feel of Santana's breath on her cheeks.

"Hey," Santana said, leaning back and squeezing Brittany's hands. She gathered her legs under her and stood, pulling her girlfriend—whoops—_fia ncé_ up with her. "Come dance with me," she urged, pulling Brittany close and wrapping her arms around a slender waist. At the blonde's shy nod, she led them to the near-empty dance floor.

Santana brought Brittany's hand up to her lips and kissed the engagement ring lovingly. "I'll be right back." She went up to the orchestra and whispered something to the violinist who nodded and smiled, giving the rest of the band a quick hand signal before settling the instrument back under her chin.

Santana turned around and let her eyes wander over the length of Brittany's body. Rather than lusty or objectifying, her gaze was filled with wonder. She couldn't believe this stunning, graceful, magnificent woman was hers, actually, fully, wholly hers. As the music started, she reached out her hand to Brittany. The blonde bit her lip and sauntered forward, rocking her hips as she moved.

Their fingers laced together and they held themselves arms' length apart, each woman taking a moment to simply breathe the other person in.

There was a swell in the music and Brittany yanked on their linked arms, pulling Santana forward and spinning them around. The melody was slow and lush, and Brittany found herself getting lost in the sound and the way Santana's body felt against her own. When the orchestra reached the chorus, however, Brittany froze. It was slowed down and instrumental, of course, but she _knew_ this song. She leaned back in her fiancé's arms and quirked an eyebrow.

Santana blushed and nodded, and Brittany threw her head back and laughed.

"Well," Santana said, "I figured today was about making amends for past mistakes and so I thought I'd get through as many of them as I could."

Brittany leaned down and captured Santana's lips. "You don't have to do that, you know?" she said against the dark girl's parted mouth.

"I know," Santana mumbled back, staying close and dragging her full lips across Brittany's. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the woman in her arms before leaning back to look into her eyes. "But I wanted you to know that I never forgot. Every time I let you down and couldn't be what you needed, what _we_ needed, every time I disappointed you," she shook her head and looked away briefly. "I just never forgot, okay. I never forgot any of it."

Brittany squeezed her eyes shut, little tears pinching out of the corners. She buried her nose in Santana's fragrant hair and hugged her tight. They twirled around, pulling close then whisking away. As the song was coming to an end, Santana made sure they were holding each other near and sang softly into Brittany's ear.

_I don't care what they think  
>I don't care what they say<br>What do they know about this  
>love anyway<em>

_Come to my window_  
><em>Crawl inside, wait by the light<em>  
><em>of the moon<em>  
><em>Come to my window<em>  
><em>I'll be home soon<em>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Fluffy? Check! Corny? Check! Cheesy? Check! :) I know this is too late to officially be for Brittana Week, but I figured we could never have too many proposal stories. Hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading and please drop me a review and let me know what you think.**


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